Lush hot chocolate

If you’re a traditionalist you can add some whipped cream and marshmallows to increase the indulgence value. I’ve recently discovered the wonders of a slug of rum added to hot chocolate (apparently quite popular with skiers in Austria) and as a devoted coconut fan can’t resist going the extra mile by adding a shot of Malibu to this recipe.

Ingredients

1 tsp Ndali organic vanilla powder (see Tips below)

200g dark chocolate finely chopped

150g cocoa powder

100g icing sugar

75g Horlicks

1 tsp sea salt

Malibu (optional naughty indulgence)

Method

Mix everything together. (This can be kept in a jar or other airtight container so for ease you might like to just throw it all together in your preferred container and give it a good shake – just be ready for the puff of icing sugar that will likely greet you if you don’t give it time to settle.)

Then, warm 200ml milk until it’s starting to simmer and add 50g of hot chocolate mixture. (Keep the rest for later, or use immediately for more people, if required.)

Keep simmering and stirring for 5 minutes.

Then transfer to a cup or mug.

For added indulgence, add a shot of Malibu and top with whipped cream and a sprinkling of mini-marshmallows.

Tips

Instead of the Ndali organic vanilla powder you can use a vanilla pod – scrape out the seeds and discard the rest.

Trivia

The Mexican custom of using boiling water instead of milk with which to make hot chocolate has given rise to the Spanish expression como agua para chocolate (like water for chocolate) describing someone who is either angrily or sexually aroused – “hot and ready”. This also became the title of a 1989 novel by the Mexican writer Laura Esquivel, which was then adapted into a 1992 film of the same name and became the highest grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the USA at that time (English title Like Water for Chocolate).